In a commonly used arrangement for bottle-feeding infants, the bottle is filled with water, to which powdered milk is added only when the baby is to be fed. That way, especially during car trips or visits away from home, or on other occasions when refrigeration may not be available for many hours at a time, the baby can be fed at any time without worrying about whether the milk has spoiled. Many hours can pass between bottle preparation and the feeding of the baby, without requiring refrigeration of the bottle. Until feeding time, the sterility or cleanliness of the nipple is protected by a removable cover.
When feeding time arrives, the nipple is removed from the bottle, a measured amount of powder is added to the water through the now-open mouth of the bottle, the nipple is reinstalled, and the bottle is shaken to mix the contents. Preferably, the protective cover for the nipple remains in covering relationship with the nipple during removal and reinstallation of the nipple, and is not removed until just before feeding.
In such arrangements, the powder is generally stored in a can or in a similar container, often with a measuring spoon or scoop supplied within the same container. The can or other container may be carried, along with one or more water-filled bottles. Just before a feeding, the scoop is used to measure the proper amount of powder to add to the bottle contents.
A can of powdered milk is somewhat heavy and bulky to carry away from home. Accordingly, smaller containers for milk powder have been provided which are washable and refillable. A known design has three chambers, each separately openable and each carrying a measure of powdered milk suitable for a single bottle. However, such a container still must be carried separate and apart from the bottles, and additional inconveniences arise when the number of bottles to be used does not match the number of storage chambers in the container, especially when the number of bottles exceed the number of storage chambers.
It is believed that no arrangement to date has provided for powder containment in direct association with each bottle on a one-for-one basis, so that the measure of powder needed for each bottle is carried along with that bottle, with no requirement for a separate powder container. The present invention provides such a device. The present invention is especially suited for bottles of the disposable flexible bag type, and is illustrated in connection therewith. However, in its broader aspects, the invention may be useful for other bottles having removable nipple covers.